Dog is afraid of people

[TommyR]

I just got a female boxer from rescue. The dog is very timid, jumps at every sound. It paces around the house. It will follow me and my wife around, but doesn't feel comfortable being petted or rubbed. Doesn't get aggressive just tries to get away. The dog is between 5 to 6 yrs old, probably was a puppy mill. Had its vocal cords cut so it can't bark. When we brought the dog in the house she didn't know how to climb stairs and was walking on the carpet funny like she didn't know what it was.Just want this dog to be comfortable around people. Thanks for any help you could give us. Tom